Modals · CEFR A2 · Everyday
be able to — English modal verbs
Can has no past participle and no future of its own, so be able to fills every gap: will be able to, have been able to.
The shape
am / is / are / was / will be able to + verb
Talk about ability in tenses where "can" does not exist.
In Hindi
can के सब रूप नहीं होते, इसलिए बाक़ी समयों में be able to उसकी जगह लेता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I will can come tomorrow. | I will be able to come tomorrow. Two modals cannot sit together — use "be able to" after will. |
be able to examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
I will be able to come tomorrow.
मैं कल आ पा{ऊँगा|ऊँगी}।
I will not be able to come tomorrow.
मैं कल नहीं आ पा{ऊँगा|ऊँगी}।
Will you be able to come tomorrow?
क्या तुम कल आ पाओगे?
She was not able to come yesterday.
वह कल नहीं आ पाई।
I was not able to meet you yesterday.
मैं कल तुमसे मिल नहीं पा{या|ई}।
I will be able to finish my work on time.
मैं अपना काम समय पर पूरा कर पा{ऊँगा|ऊँगी}।
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
Questions people ask
- What is the be able to used for?
- Can has no past participle and no future of its own, so be able to fills every gap: will be able to, have been able to. In practice: talk about ability in tenses where "can" does not exist.
- How do you form the be able to?
- am / is / are / was / will be able to + verb.
- What is the most common mistake with the be able to?
- Saying “I will can come tomorrow.” instead of “I will be able to come tomorrow.”. Two modals cannot sit together — use "be able to" after will.
Where be able to fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
be able to is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to modals. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
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